Air Asia Flight Goes Missing, Wreckage Found Early Tuesday

An Airbus AIR.PA A320-200 operated by Indonesia AirAsia disappeared on Sunday morning on course from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore, Reuters reported. As the plane was traveling over the Java Sea, it reportedly encountered a string of violent thunderstorms and massive clouds, at which point the pilot requested to ascend some 6,000 feet to circumvent a cloud, according to the Washington Post. However, Indonesian dispatchers denied the request, and the plane disappeared within minutes with no distress call reported, according to the Washington Post. On Tuesday, the Daily Beast reported that teams who were searching for the missing aircraft found more than 40 bodies as well as debris from the missing aircraft floating in the Java Sea near Borneo. AirAsia has reportedly confirmed that the debris is in fact from QZ8501, according to the Daily Beast. Military aircrafts searching for the missing aircraft spotted the plane’s emergency door, emergency slide, and square metal objects earlier this morning, leading to the eventual discovery, the Daily Beast reported. This latest accident is one in a string of horrific plane incidents that have cast serious doubts about the propriety of the aviation industry in Indonesia, the Washington Post reported. Many officials from Indonesia and around the globe have warned that while the aviation industry in this region has rapidly expanded in demand, companies who operate the aircrafts have been left behind in their supply of aviation experts, regulatory oversight, and equipment, according to the Washington Post. Major issues with the industry are abound, including problems with music stations and phone calls interfering with air traffic control frequencies and a central airport that handled more than three times its intended capacity for passengers in 2013, the Washington Post reported.